Senator Wayne Morse

Have you ever heard of Senator Wayne Morse?

During the McCarthy era, he was an opponent of the anti-Communist madness that took over our country.

In 1964, Morse was one of two senators to vote against the Tonkin Gulf resolution. This was the resolution which gave us the green light to go into Viet Nam. He was denounced by much of the press, but he still persisted.

Even after we were involved in Viet Nam he was remarkable because he challenged the morality, NOT JUST THE WINABILITY OF THE WAR.

He said the US had no right to impose its will on the world, and he made many enemies of his fellow Democrats, including Johnson.

Because of his position he lost reelection in 1968 to Bob Packwood who denounced Morse's anti-Viet Name stand.

In 1967 Morse said the following:

"We're going to become guilty, in my judgment, of being the greatest threat to the peace of the world. It's an ugly reality, and we Americans don't like to face up to it. I hate to think of the chapter of American history that's going to be written in the future in connection with our outlawry in Southeast Asia."

Robert Byrd was one of those lone voices in the night. He warned us about the power we were giving to the president, and the folly of going into Iraq.

This is not just for the election of the president, it is to take the media back also

Howard Dean had been doing well, until the media decided to present his excitement after the Iowa primary as irrational behavior

Did any of us think that things were going to be easy with these thugs in the white house? I cannot believe that we are that naive

Look what is happening to CBS by presenting a legitimate story. The other media outlets are trashing CBS and Dan Rather, many calling for Rather's retirement. I have never seen media outlets go after a competitor like that

Remember when we went to war in Iraq. Remember how the media surpressed any opinions which were contrary to going to war?

When CBS presented the Abu Garib prision story, remember how the other media outlets immediately minimized those occurences?

Friends, we are in a period of time similar to the McCarthey and Viet Nam era.

We MUST FIGHT THIS, and continue to do so no matter what happens in the election. I hope and pray that Kerry wins, but no matter what happens none of us should sit back and take anything for granted. That is what got us into the state of affairs we are in now. In the last four years the Democrats in Congress essentially gave this administration everything they wanted. Very few stood on principle. They were more worried about opinion polls. We cannot let that happen again.

History was kind to Wayne Morse, and people who once reviled him came to acknowledge America's debt to this good man. Unfortunately, Morse died before this happened.

are the congressional races. BushCo has committed numerous impeachable offenses, including treason. The only reason Bush has not been impeached is that the repukes consistently place partisanship before national security. We MUST take back the legislature to reverse this alarming trend.

He made me proud to be an Oregonian. Maybe they broke the mold with him...sadly, we sure don't see many of his ilk nowadays. I like that he called Viet Nam what it was: "Our outlawry in Southeast Asia." The same could now be said of the ugly reality that Iraq has become. I could not agree more that we must continue the fight, no matter what the election outcome. However, I must admit if Bush pulls this one out, I am ready to simply give up. I will take nothing for granted, except that the very worst will happen to all of us, and I have a feeling it won't take long for those who support him to understand just what they have wrought. For now, I'll fight the fight, keep the faith and constantly repeat my mantra:

BUSH MUST GO!!

only two senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.As we become more and more addicted to the use of violence as a way to settle disputes, people like Morse seem to appear less and less often
in our body politic to our eternal detriment in my opinion.As it stands we have a fool, a coward and a knave for President who has somehow managed to produce a rubber stamp Congress that without even a whimper of a question authorizes war powers in Iraq. If it wasn't for the lone Lion in Winter Senator Byrd we could well have sung an elegy for our Democracy.It is a sorry tale, our descent.

I grew up in Oregon.
He was a good man.

That was the name of a biography of Morse...and it was written before his ferocious Vietnam vote...

morse. I wish he were alive now. He would have a field day on bush.
Oregon has a history of putting good men and women out there. :)

outstanding leadership. I am familiar with Ernest Gruening and Wayne Morris, having lived in Alaska and Oregon also. My father, who was an active Democrat, knew and worked with Gruening and had always spoken of him with the utmost admiration and respect. Wayne Morris was and is my favorite politician of the 20th century. His motto, which he followed unwaveringly was "principle above politics". Tom McCall of Oregon was a Republican to be respected also. His 'open door' policy was exceptional and was reflected in his handling of sticky situations. We miss those politicans who practiced what they preached.

I handed out buttons and bumper stickers for him when I was 13 years old.

The world could use more Wayne Morses.